Chord threw his keys on the nearest table and shut the door of his apartment behind him. Scanning the room, his heart sunk as he didn't see the familiar blonde sitting in her usual chair in the living room. He moved to the kitchen, thinking that she had decided to leave and left him a note. Looking on the counter first and then the fridge, there was no sign of any sort of note. He was curious now, her two usual spots remaining completely unoccupied.
They had been living together for a while now, the transition a sort of blur. She began to spend so many nights at his apartment that more of her things were there instead of at her own apartment. This made the official move a lot easier, Dianna only having a few bags of her stuff left in her apartment. Nobody had noticed, either, which had become a blessing. Along with the press, Ryan didn't know either, and they intended to keep it that way. Ever since Dianna had come back from Tennessee, there was a clear difference in the way she carried herself. She was truly happy, head held high and a smile on her face. Her friends noticed, but she decided not to say anything to most of them. It was supposed to be a secret, after all, and telling everyone they knew didn't seem like such a good idea. They noticed the ring, though-that was sort of hard to cover up-but because it wasn't on the ring finger they never bothered to ask about it, thinking it was just another trinket she'd picked up on her travels. She'd never felt happier for that part of her reputation.
Of course Lea knew. Dianna found it nearly impossible to keep anything from her, especially since she was so persistent.
"Where'd you get the ring?"
"Oh, you know, just in a little shop when I went on vacation." Lea rolled her eyes and got up from the couch, holding Dianna's hand to get a better look at it.
"That's not something you buy for yourself, Di.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not dumb, someone else bought it for you…you're not getting married are you?"
"Oh god no, not now at least." Lea quirked her eyebrow and Dianna laughed, pulling her hand away from her best friend to examine the ring herself.
"When he gave it to me he said that he did want to marry me someday. It's a promise ring." Lea squealed and Dianna just rolled her eyes playfully, smacking her arm and then stopping, putting on a more serious face. "You can't tell anyone though, we don't really want anyone knowing yet, especially with Ryan's rules."
"Middle finger swear." Lea and Dianna linked middle fingers and smiled, a sure sign of a promise not to be broken.
"Dianna?" He called her name and continued to their bedroom, poking his head in the second one before crossing the hall to theirs. She wasn't sleeping, and she wasn't looking for something in the closet. He sat on the bed in defeat, thinking of where she might be. Her phone and her purse still lay the way they had when they got back from work, so he knew she hadn't gone out. This moment of pause let light sound travel to the bedroom, and Chord looked up upon hearing it. It was little, a light shuffling coming from the bathroom. He moved toward the sound, calling her name once more.
From her place in the bathroom, Dianna froze upon hearing her name. She could hear his footsteps approaching the door and she gathered herself from the cold tile floor, using the counter for support. She called his name back so he knew she was ok, and then hid her hands behind her back, opening the door. She was met with his smiling face and a hug and she moved her hands around his neck to hug him back. Chord felt the weight of something strange on his back and he paused, pulling away from the hug. Dianna moved her hands behind her back again, but this time the action hadn't gone unnoticed by her boyfriend.
"…What's that?" His words hit her and she took a deep breath, gathering her strength and moving to their living room to sit.
"I have something to tell you."
He looked at the object in his hands in complete shock. Not knowing what to think, he turned it over and then looked up at Dianna, who was sitting on the couch across from him. Her reserve was crumbling, her head rest in her left hand while she bit her lip, looking anywhere but at him. He moved to sit next to her, wrapping her in his embrace. At that moment, the gift of silence was the best he'd ever given her. She was scared, and he knew that she needed to sort everything out. He let her cry, rubbing circles on her back in comfort. Breaking the silence only once, he spoke to her gently, not sure of what else to say.
"I'll be here for you, everything's going to be ok."